Federal Duck Stampe Contest Regulations and Entry Form f

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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

2025 Federal Duck Stamp
Art Contest

Information, Entry Form and
Regulations
Dear Artist:
Please read all of the
enclosed information very
carefully and follow the
instructions. If you do not
follow the instructions
completely, your
entry may be disqualified
from the contest.
All entries must be
postmarked by midnight
August 15, 2025.

2024 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Winner
Artist: Adam Grimm
Species: Spectacled Eiders

Please submit your entry to:
Federal Duck Stamp Contest
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Duck Stamp Office MS:MB
5275 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041

Summary of Key Points
Who can enter the Federal Duck
Stamp Contest?

All U.S. citizens, nationals or resident aliens
are eligible to participate. However, all
entrants must be at least 18 years of age by
June 1. Contest judges and their relatives,
and employees of the Federal Duck Stamp
Office are ineligible to submit entries.

Why do you have a contest?

The Federal Duck Stamp Contest is
mandated by law and carried out by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service. It offers this
country’s wildlife artists the opportunity to
have their designs considered to grace the
Federal Duck Stamp. Winning the Federal
Duck Stamp Contest not only lends prestige
to the chosen artist, but also can serve as a
catalyst in building a successful career in
wildlife art.

What can I send to the contest?

A Federal Duck Stamp Contest art entry
consists of a two-dimensional design. The
regulations for the contest do not specify
a medium. However, computer generated or
printed art and photography are not
accepted.
Judges are instructed to look for scenes
depicting live birds in their natural habitat.
Judges will be looking for images that will
reproduce well as a stamp.
Each entry must be accompanied by the
Display, Participation & Reproduction
Rights Agreement (see page 7) and an entry
fee of $125.
The fee must be a certified check, cashier’s
check, or money order made payable to the
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. No personal
checks or cash will be accepted. If you send
a personal check or cash, your entry may be
disqualified. Fees are not refundable.
Entries must be uniform in size. Each entry
must be 7” x 10” and matted over with
bright white matting. The matting must be
1” wide. Total size (entry with matting) must
be 9” x 12”. (See the diagram on page 5.) We
recommend you use a 1/8” masonite board
or foamcore with 1⁄8” matting to equal the
total width of 1/4” thick. Any entry
exceeding 1/4” thick will be disqualified.

When do I send in my entry?

Entries are accepted beginning June 1 of
each year and must be postmarked no later
than midnight on August 15. There is no
exception made for holidays and weekends.
Entries are cataloged and assigned
numbers based on date of receipt in the
Federal Duck Stamp Office. Entries will be
returned after the contest in packaging
determined by the Federal Duck Stamp
Office. No packaging materials or boxes
sent by artists will be returned.

Where do I send my entry?

All entries must be sent to the address listed
below:
Federal Duck Stamp Contest
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service MS:MB
5275 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041

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What does the winning artist receive?

The artist will receive publicity and media
recognition. He/she will also travel and be
recognized as guest speaker at several
prestigious national waterfowl festivals and
wildlife art events. The artist receives a pane
of his or her Duck Stamps signed by the
Secretary of the Interior. Finally, the winner
can choose to market the winning image
and any other works as “by the Federal Duck
Stamp artist.” (Note: Any publishing
contract that might be offered to the
winning artist is between the artist and
publisher. The Federal Government does
not guarantee any contract will be offered.
The Government assumes no liability or
responsibility, nor claims any interest in
resulting publishing contracts.)

Why is this important and why should
I enter?

The Federal Duck Stamp Program raises
approximately $40 million each year to help
conserve vital wetland habitat in our
Each artist should have a working
National Wildlife Refuge System. Since
knowledge in three major areas of special
1934, the sale of Federal Duck Stamps has
interest to Federal Duck Stamp Contest
raised more than $1.2 billion to help
judges:
purchase over 6 million acres of wetlands,
• Basic Waterfowl Biology—for example, if land that everyone can enjoy for generations
you choose to depict a spring scene,
to come. Enter the contest and you may
is the bird’s plumage correct for that season? become a part of this legacy. Each entry
exemplifies art for conservation’s sake.
• Artistic Composition—is the image
artistically interesting and does it “pop”
when you look at it?

How do I prepare my entry?

• Suitability for Printing at a Reduced Size
—the image provides the design for a 1.75”
L x 1.5” W stamp. Considering the amount
of detail you wish to include, do you think it
will show well in this reduced size?

What are the eligible
species for this year?
•
•
•
•
•

Wood Duck
Gadwall
Cinnamon Teal
Bufflehead
Ruddy Duck

Design Checklist for 2025
Have you included one or more
of the 2025 eligible species? Is it
alive and the dominant part of
your entry?

Is your composition free of all
writing? This includes bird
band numbers, lettering on
signs, and signatures!!!
No writing (letters or
numbers) is allowed on the
front of your entry.

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Contest
regulations
ParT 91—MIgraTory BIrD HUnTIng anD
ConServaTIon STaMP ConTeST

Subpart a—Introduction
Sec.
91.1 Purpose of regulations.
91.2 Definitions.
91.3 Public attendance at contest.
91.4 Eligible species.

Subpart B—Procedures for entering the Contest
91.11 Contest deadlines.
91.12 Contest eligibility.
91.13 Technical requirements for design and
submission of entry.
91.14 Restrictions on subject matter of entry.
91.16 Submission procedures for entry.
91.17 Property insurance for entries.
91.18 Failure to comply with contest
regulations.
Subpart C—Procedures for administering the
Contest
91.21 Selection and qualification of contest
judges.
91.22 Display of entries for contest.
91.23 Scoring criteria for contest.
91.24 Contest procedures.
Subpart D—Post-Contest Procedures
91.31 Return of entries after contest.
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 301; 16 U.S.C. 718j;
31 U.S.C. 9701.

SUBParT a—InTroDUCTIon
§91.1 Purpose of regulations.
(a) The purpose of these regulations is to
establish procedures for selecting a design
that will be used for the annual Migratory
Bird Hunting and Conser vation Stamp
(Federal Duck Stamp).
(b) All individuals entering the contest
must comply with these regulations. A copy
of the regulations along with the reproduction
rights and display and participation agreements may be requested from the Federal
Duck Stamp Office, U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service MS:MB, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls
Church, VA 22041.
§91.2 Defnitions.
Contest Coordinator—the contest offcial
responsible for overseeing the judges’ scores
for each entry. The contest coordinator will be
named by the Secretary of the Interior and
will not be a past or present employee of the
Fish and Wildlife Service.
Display and participation agreement—
a document that each contestant must
complete, sign and submit with the entry.
The signed agreement permits the Service
to display the entry at various locations for
promotional purposes, and requires the artist to participate in events on behalf of the
Federal Duck Stamp Program.

Qualifying entry—each original work of
art submitted to the contest that satisfies the
requirements outlined in Subpart B.
Reproduction rights agreement—a
document that each contestant must sign and
submit with the entry. The signed agreement
certifies that the entry is an original work of
art and stipulates how the Fish and Wildlife
Service may use the winning entry.
§91.3 Public attendance at contest.
All phases of the voting process will be open
for viewing by the general public.
§91.4 eligible species.
Five or fewer of the species listed below will
be identified as eligible each year, those
eligible species will be provided to each contestant with the information provided in §91.1.
(a) Whistling-Ducks.
(1) Fulvous Whistling-Duck
(Dendrocygna bicolor)
(2) Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
(Dendrocygna autumnalis)
(b) Geese.
(1) Emperor Goose (Anser canagica)
(2) Snow Goose (including "white" and "blue"
morphs) (Anser caerulescens)
(3) Ross’ Goose (Anser rossii)
(4) Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser
albifrons)
(5) Brant (Branta bernicla)
(6) Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii)
(7) Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
(c) Swans.
(1) Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)
(2) Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)
(d) Dabbling Ducks.
(1) Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
(2) Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)
(3) Cinnamon Teal (Spatula cyanoptera)
(4) Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
(5) Gadwall (Mareca strepera)
(6) American Widgeon (Mareca americana)
(7) Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
(8) American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)
(9) Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula)
(10)Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
(11)Green-winged Teal (Anas creca)
(e) Diving Ducks.
(1) Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)
(2) Redhead (Aythya americana)
(3) Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)
(4) Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
(5) Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
(f) Sea-Ducks.
(1) Steller’s Eider (Polysticta stelleri)
(2) Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri)
(3) King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)
(4) Common Eider (Somateria mollissima)
(5) Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)
(6) Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)
(7) White-winged Scoter (Melanitta fusca)
(8) Black Scoter (Melanitta americana)
(9) Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)
(10) Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
(11) Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
(12) Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica)

(h)

Mergansers.

(1) Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes

cucullatus)

(2) Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)
(3) Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus

serrator)

(i) Stiff Tails.
(1) Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)

SUBParT B—ProCeDUreS For enTerIng
THe ConTeST
§91.11 Contest opening date and entry deadline.
The contest officially opens on June 1 of each
year. Entries must be postmarked no later than
midnight, August 15.
§91.12 Contest eligibility.
United States citizens, nationals, or resident aliens
are eligible to participate in the contest. Any
person who has won the federal contest during the
preceding three years will not be eligible to submit
an entry in the current year’s contest. All entrants
must be 18 years of age as of June 1 to participate
in the Federal Duck Stamp Contest. Contest
judges and their relatives are ineligible to submit
an entry. All entrants must submit a nonrefundable fee of $125.00 by a cashier's check,
certified check, or money order made payable to:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (Personal checks
will not be accepted.) All entrants must submit
signed Reproduction Rights and Display and
Participation Agreements.
§91.13 Technical requirements for design and
submission of entry.
The design must be a horizontal drawing or
painting seven (7) inches high and ten (10)
inches wide. The entry may be drawn in any
medium desired by the contestant and may be
in either multicolor or black and white. No
scrollwork, lettering, bird band numbers, signatures or initials may appear on the design.
Each entry must be matted over only with a
nine (9) inch by twelve (12) inch white mat, one
(1) inch wide, and the entire entry cannot
exceed one quarter (1/4) inch in total thickness.
Entries must not be framed, under glass, or
have a protective covering that is attached to
the entry.
§91.14 restrictions on subject matter of entry.
(a) A live portrayal of any bird(s) of the five or
fewer identified eligible waterfowl species must
be the dominant feature of the design. The
design may depict more than one of the eligible
species. The judges’ overall mandate is to select
the best design that will make an interesting,
useful, and attractive duck stamp that will be
accepted and prized by hunters, stamp
collectors, conservationists, and others.
The design must be the contestant’s original
hand-drawn creation. The entry design may not
be copied or duplicated from previously
published art, including photographs, or from
images in any format published on the Internet.
Photographs, computer-generated art, or art
produced from a computer printer or other
2014 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Regulations 3

computer/mechanical output device (airbrush
method excepted) are not eligible to be entered
into the contest and will be disqualified. An
entry submitted in a prior contest that was not
selected for a Federal or State stamp design may
be submitted in the current contest if the entry
meets the criteria set forth in this section.
§91.16 Submission procedures for entry.
(a) Each contestant may submit only one
entry. Each entry must be accompanied by a
non-refundable entrance fee and a completed
and signed Reproduction Rights Agreement
and a completed and signed Display and
Participation Agreement. The bottom portion
of the Reproduction Rights Agreement must
be attached to the back of the entry.
(b) Each entry should be appropriately
wrapped to protect the artwork and sent by
registered mail, certified mail, express mail,
overnight delivery service, or hand delivered to:
Federal Duck Stamp Contest
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service MS:MB
5275 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041
§91.17 Property insurance for entries.
Each contestant is responsible for obtaining
adequate insurance coverage for his/her entry.
The Department of the Interior will not insure
the entries it receives. The Department of the
Interior is not responsible for loss or damage
unless it is caused by its negligence or willful
misconduct; in any event, the liability of the
Department of the Interior will not exceed the
amount of the entry fee as specified in Section
91.12.
§91.18 Failure to comply with contest regulations.
Any entry that does not comply with the
requirements of Subpart B will be disqualified
from the contest. Entry fees for disqualified
entries will not be returned.

SUBParT C—ProCeDUreS For
aDMInISTerIng THe ConTeST
§91.21 Selection and qualifcation of contest
judges.
(a) Selection: Five voting judges and one
alternate judge will be selected annually by
the Secretary of the Interior. Current
employees of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and their relatives are ineligible to
serve as judges for the contest. The judges
will be reimbursed for reasonable
travel expenses. The judges will be
announced on the first day of the Contest.

4

(b) Qualifications:
(1) The panel of five judges will be made
up of individuals, all of whom have one or more
of the following prerequisites: recognized art
credentials, knowledge of the anatomical make
up and the natural habitat of the eligible
waterfowl species, an understanding of the
wildlife sporting world in which the Duck
Stamp is used, an awareness of philately and
the role the Duck Stamp plays in stamp
collecting, and demonstrated support for the
conservation of waterfowl and wetlands
through active involvement in the conservation
community.
§91.22 Display of entries for contest.
All eligible entries will be publicly displayed
in numerical order. The only visible
identification on each entry will be the number assigned to it in chronological order when
it is received and processed by the Service.
§91.23 Scoring criteria for contest.
(a) Entries will be judged on the basis of
anatomical accuracy, artistic composition
and
(b) suitability for reduction in the production
of a stamp.
§91.24 Contest procedures.
(a) The day before the judging begins,
the judges will be briefed on all aspects of the
judging procedures and other details of the
competition, and will preview all eligible
artwork entered.
(b) Prior to the first round of judging,
and prior to the opening of the contest to the
public, the judges will spend additional time in
the auditorium reviewing the entries on the
day of the contest.
(c) In the first round of judging all qualified entries will be shown one at a time to the
judges by the Contest Coordinator or a contest staff member. The judges will vote “in” or
“out” on each entry; those entries receiving a
majority of votes “in” will be eligible for the
second round of judging. The remaining
entries will be placed on display as a group for
public viewing.
(d) Prior to the second round of judging,
each judge may select not more than five
entries from those eliminated in the first
round. Those additional entries selected by the
judges will be eligible to be judged in the
second round.
(e) Prior to the second round of judging, the
entries selected by the judges under the
procedures of paragraphs (c) and (d) of this
section will be displayed in numerical order in the
front of the auditorium.
(f) The technical advisors from the
Department of the Interior and the U.S. Postal
Service will do a critical analysis of the entries that
will be judged in the second round and advise the
judges of any serious anatomical problems.

Federal Duck Stamp Contest Regulations

(g) In the second round of judging, each
entry selected in the first round, plus the
additional entries selected by judges, will
be shown one at a time to the judges by the
Contest Coordinator or by a contest staff
member. The judges will vote by indicating a
numerical score from one to five for each entry.
The scores will be totaled to provide
the entry score. The entries receiving the five
highest scores will be advanced to the third
round of judging.
(h) In the third round of judging, the judges
will vote on the remaining entries using the same
method as in round two, except they will indicate
a numerical score from 3 to 5 for each entry. The
Contest Coordinator will tabulate the final votes
and present them to the Director, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, who will announce the winning
entry as well as the entries that placed second
and third.
(i) In case of a tie vote for first, second, or
third place in the third round, the judges will
vote again on the entries that are tied. The
judges will vote using the same method as in
round three.
(j) The selection of the winning entry
by the judges will be final. Each contestant will
be notified of the winning artist and the design.
The winning artist will receive a pane of Duck
Stamps, or similar quality memento portraying their
current Federal Duck Stamp, signed by the Secretary
of the Interior at the Federal Duck Stamp Contest the
following year. At the discretion of the Service, other
artists who substantially assist with the design of the
final stamp will receive formal recognition during the
following year’s contest. At the discretion of the
Service, artists placing in Round 3 may receive a
nonmonetary award to acknowledge their
participation and success in this prestigious art
contest.

SUBParT D—PoST-ConTeST ProCeDUreS
§91.31 return of entries after contest.
All entries will be returned by commercial
shipping service to the participating artists within
120 days after the contest unless the artwork is
selected to appear at one or more wildlife art
expositions. Entries will be returned in packaging
determined by the Federal Duck Stamp Office. No
specialty boxes or art cases will be returned. If
artwork is returned to the Service because it is
undelivered or unclaimed (this may happen if an
artist changes address), the Service will not
be obligated to trace the location of the artist
to return the artwork. Any artist who changes his
or her address is responsible for notifying the
Service of the change. All unclaimed entries will
be destroyed one year from the date of the
contest.

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Duck Stamp Contest
Submission Format
Entry must be "matted over" and the matting
affixed to the front of the painting. The painting
will be placed in a carrier that covers the
information on the back of the painting to
provide anonymity. In order to ensure that we
are able to place the paintings in the carriers, do
not make your entry any thicker than 1/4" or it
will be disqualified.

12"

Suggestion: Use a 1/8" thick Masonite or
foamcore for your entry, then use a 1/8" thick
mat to place on top to form 1/4" total thickness
of entry.

10"
9"

7"

For purposes of stability of your entry, use both
a 9" x 12" art board and 9" x 12" mat rather than
a 7" x 10" art board covered by a 9" x 12" mat.
1"

Be sure to allow ample time, prior to shipping, for
varnish and paint to fully dry to avoid damage to
your artwork.

1"
< 1/4"

When mailing your entry to the Federal Duck
Stamp Office, please pack your artwork carefully
and use stiff packing material to ensure that the
art will not be bent or damaged in transit.
Bubble wrap or mailing pouches should be
placed in hard sided boxes to protect artwork.
It is recommended that you ship your package
through a shipping company the provides
tracking services and insure it under a home or
business policy.

All attempts will be made to have the annual
brochure available by January of the year in
which the contest is to be held.
Tentative eligible species for upcoming years:
2026: Cackling Goose, Blue-winged Teal, Mottled Duck, Longtailed Duck, and King Eider
2027: White-fronted Goose, Green-winged Teal (North
American race only), American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck,
and Barrow's Goldeneye

Please note that these species are tentative.
You must check the
annual rules brochure for any
changes to eligible species, annual
forms, and all current regulations.
2014 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Regulations 5

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Display and Participation Agreement
The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)
continues to promote greater public
awareness of the Federal Duck Stamp and its
many contributions to wetland and
waterfowl conservation. To assist in and
facilitate this promotional effort, the FWS
has sought out the participation and
cooperation of various wildlife oriented art
exhibitors for the purpose of displaying
selected entries during the year following the
contest. The artist’s name, city, and state will
be shown next to each entry. No effort will be
made to sell any entry. If an artist’s entry is
selected to be on display, it may mean that
the entry will not be returned to the artist
within the 120 days after the contest
in which all other entries are normally
returned.
Approximately 10-20 of the highest ranked
entries from the Federal Duck Stamp
Contest may appear on display at special
events throughout the country. Please check
our web site at http://www.fws.gov/birds/
get-involved/duck-stamp/federal-duckstamp-art-exhibit-tour.php for the latest
touring exhibit schedule.
Artists requesting an early return of their
entries which would otherwise be on tour,
may be barred from entering for two
subsequent years.

The winning artist must agree to participate
in the following events to help promote the
Federal Duck Stamp Program. Some
transportation and lodging will be paid by the
organizations indicated.

It is required at a minimum, that the artist
spend one peak attendance day (as
determined by the Federal Duck Stamp
Office) at each of these events.

The winning artist will assist in promoting
the Federal Duck Stamp Program by
second full weekend of November. The Federal providing autographs without charge to the
Duck Stamp Program will pay for
public or the Federal Government.
transportation and lodging according to
current Federal Government per diem rates.
The Federal Government will assume no
Four days. www.waterfowlfestival.org
responsibility for the safekeeping
or loss of the entries once accepted by the
National Junior Duck Stamp Art
Contest, location to be determined, April. management of the exhibitions and until
returned from the exhibitions
The Federal Duck Stamp Program
to Government custody. It is strongly
will pay for transportation and lodging
according to current Federal Government per suggested that each artist insure his/her art
before sending it to the Federal Duck
diem rates. One day.
Stamp Office.
First Day Ceremony, location to be
The winning artist will be required
determined, end of June. The Federal Duck
Stamp Program will pay for transportation
to provide the following artwork by February
and lodging according to current Federal
(a) a line drawing for the postal cancellation
Government per diem rates. One day.
for the first day of sale of the Federal Duck
Stamp; (b) if the artist decides to have a
Artist’s Hometown Event, date and
hometown sales event, another line drawing
location to be determined by artist. All
will be required for the postal cancellation
expenses paid by the artist or partners.
for that event; (c) two remarques to be
Optional.
depicted on the first and third year of the
individual Artist’s Appreciation Card.
Following Year Federal Duck Stamp

Easton Waterfowl Festival, Easton, MD,

Contest, location to be determined,

September. The Federal Duck Stamp Program
will pay for transportation and lodging
according to current Federal Government per
diem rates. Three days.

Signature on this agreement is a prerequisite
for entering any Federal Duck Stamp
Contest; failure to sign will result in the
disqualification of your entry.

J.N. “Ding” Darling Birthday Event, J.N.
“Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge,
Sanibel, FL, mid-October. The J.N. “Ding”
Darling Society will reimburse artist for cost NOTE: All requirements cited above
of transportation and lodging.
will be subject to negotiation when
www.dingdarlingsociety.org/dingdarlingdays extenuating circumstances exist for the

artist. Although all extenuating
circumstances are not listed in this
document, some examples are: (1)
health of the artist does not permit the
The winning artist may be asked to provide
artist to travel to some or any of the
additional artwork and participate in several
events identified; (2) the home of the
annual stamp events to support the Federal
artist is located in an area so remote as
Duck Stamp Program. These will be at the
to make attendance at the scheduled
artist’s or the Service's expense.
event impossible; (3) Federal, state or
local prohibitions, security issues, or
The winning artist may be asked to make brief
other health and safety measures
remarks at several events to promote the
restrict gatherings or travel; and (4)
Federal Duck Stamp Program.
emergencies prohibit the artist from
participating.
Other opportunities may present themselves
and can be discussed.

6 2014 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Regulations

The undersigned Artist, who has prepared and submitted an original
design to the Federal Duck Stamp Contest as an entry in the annual
contest for the 2026-2027 Migratory Bird Hunting and
Conservation Stamp agrees to the following conditions concerning
display, participation and reproduction rights if his/her design is
selected for the stamp:

4. Ownership of the original design may, at the option of the Artist, be
retained by him/her and it may be copyrighted, copied, reproduced,
published, or otherwise distributed by the Artist. Any copyright of the
design or any agreement made by the Artist with any other person or
company covering the use of the design expressly shall be made subject
to the rights of the FWS under paragraph 1 of this Agreement.

1. I agree that my entry in the Federal Duck Stamp Contest may be
displayed at the Fish and Wildlife Service’s discretion and for the purpose
of promoting public awareness of the Federal Duck Stamp Program and
its contributions to waterfowl conservation under the conditions
described in the Display and Participation Agreement. I waive any
claims for damage or loss that might otherwise lie against the Federal
Government during the time my entry is in the custody of the
management of those exhibitions.

including paintings, drawings in any medium, or published
photograph; or from images of any kind previously published on the
Internet.
10.The Artist agrees that if selected for the stamp, the Artist’soriginal
design will be used by the stamp printer as the basis for creating the
stamp design, and agrees that in doing so, changes may be made to the
Artist’s original design at the discretion of the stamp printer.

5. If the Artist decides to reproduce the original artwork in the form of
print, he/she agrees to provide twenty-five (25) of these at no cost to the
FWS. The prints will be retained by the Director of the FWS and will be 11. It is mutally agreed that no Member of or Delegate to Congress shall
participate in any part of the contract/agreement or receive any benefit
used to promote the Program.
from this agreement (41 U.S.C. Section 22).
6.If the Artist and/or his/her publisher decide to reproduce the original
artwork in the form of mini prints, decoys, postcards, or other sales items, 12. The artist agrees to provide his/her signature for use on all Stamp
he/she agrees to provide the FWS with ten (10) of any of the articles at no products at no cost to the Federal Government.
cost to the FWS. (The FWS shall choose which item.) The items will be
13.The information below will be contained in an electronic database
2. I understand that if my entry is selected for display it may not be
used to promote the Program.
maintained by the FWS and will not be used by the FWS for any
returned to me within the 120-day period stipulated in the regulations. I
further agree that in the event I am the winning artist in the Federal Duck 7.If the Artist and/or his/her publisher decide to reproduce the original purpose other than to register the Artist, or, if needed, to respond to a
public information request under the Freedom of Information Act
Stamp Contest, I will participate in the events as stipulated in the Display artwork in the form of posters, he/she agrees to provide the FWS with
and Participation Agreement.
200 posters at no cost. The posters will be used to promote the Program. (FOIA).
3. The original design, as prepared by the Artist and submitted to the
FWS, may be retained by the FWS until the modeling and printing of the
Stamp has been completed. The stamp design, based on the Artist’s
original design, may be copied and reproduced, and copies and
reproductions may be published and distributed by the FWS to others
for reproduction, copying and publishing for educational or information
purposes. In addition, the stamp design may be made available,
without compensation to the Artist, for reproduction for commercial
and other purposes pursuant to 16 U.S.C. Section 718e(c).

8. Any and all reproduction of either the original design or the stamp
design made or authorized by the FWS under the terms of this
Agreement, except the modeling and printing of the Migratory Bird
Hunting and Conservation Stamp, and reproductions thereof
authorized pursuant to 16 U.S.C. Section 718e(c), specifically shall
indicate that the original has been designed by the Artist.

NOTE: The fields marked below with an asterisk(*) are the only
required fields. The Artist may provide additional information they
deem necessary so the FWS may contact them, however, it is not
required by the FWS to participate. Out of respect for your personal
privacy, FWS only collects the minimum information necessary and
does not share information outside of the FWS.

9. The Artist affirms that his/her entry is a drawing of his/her own
creation, neither copied nor duplicated from previously published art,

*artist Signature

*Date

Failure to sign this form will result in disqualifcation
(No P.O. Boxes)

*Street Address

*Species

*City, State, and Zip
*Telephone (Home)
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service collects information necessary to consider your submission for the Federal Duck Stamp Contest. Information requested in this form
is purely voluntary. Failure to provide all required information may be sufficient cause for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reject your submission. According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or
sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved this collection of information and assigned Control No. 1018-0172. We
estimate public reporting for this collection of information to average 5 minutes, including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding the
burden estimate or any other aspect of the form to the Service Information Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS:PRB (JAO/3W), Falls Church, VA 22041-3803, or via
email at Info_Coll@fws.gov. Please do not send your completed form to this address.

Entry Form for 2025 Federal Duck Stamp Contest

Attach this part to the back of your entry, and send your entry, entry fee and the Display, Participation & Reproduction Rights
Agreement to: Federal Duck Stamp Contest, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service MS:MB, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041.

––—–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

2025 Display, Participation &
Reproduction Rights Agreement

––—––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– enclose this part with your contest entry

OMB Control No. 1018-0172
Expires ##/##/20##

OMB Control No. 1018-0172
Expires ##/##/20##

To be used by FWS only
Entry Number

*Species

*Street Address

(No P.O. Boxes)

*Medium Used

*City, State, and Zip
*Telephone (Home)
Email Address

(Work)

(Cell)
*Date of Birth

–
MONTH

YEAR

Press Coverage: Name of Hometown Newspaper

Enclosed find $125 non-refundable entry fee in the form of a cashier’s check, certified check, or money order, payable to: U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service. Personal checks and/or cash are NOT accepted.
Postmark between June 1, 2025 and midnight August 15, 2025.

2014 Federal Duck Stamp Contest Regulations 7

attach this part to the back of entry

Print or Type
*Name

Federal Duck Stamp Office
Phone: 703/358 2145
Fax: 703/358 2282
http://www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp.php
September 2024

Hints for Preparing Your Design
Scoring criteria for contest:
Entries will be judged on the basis of
anatomical accuracy, artistic composition
and suitability for reduction in the
production of a stamp.

Keep the design simple.

Use bright, bold, pleasing, warm colors.

Remember, this art is going to be used to
produce a stamp — look at your finished
product at a reduced size so that you will
see what the judges see when they are
making a final decision.

Portray your eligible species alive and as
the dominant, main focus of your entry.

Leave room for required stamp
language and the denomination.

Make sure the habitat is appropriate for
the species and its plumage.

Do not include any writing on the front
of your entry. This includes lettering on
signs and numbers on bands.

Checklist
Don’t forget to:

Affix the Entry Form to the back of
your entry
Sign the Display, Participation &
Reproduction Rights Agreement
Include your $125 entry fee
(cashier’s check, certified check or
money order - NO PERSONAL
CHECKS ACCEPTED)

Finally, remember that the first
impression a judge has of your entry is
a lasting one.

GOOD LUCK!

Put your Stamp on Conservation... Buy Duck Stamps.